Speaker 1: Well, we're joined right now and by one of the
Speaker 1: Dodger coaches, one of the best, if not the best,
Speaker 1: at first base, and that's Clayton McCullough. Clayton, thanks a
Speaker 1: lot for the time. Great to see the Beard really
Speaker 1: really coming into form here in Oakland.
Speaker 2: Oh, David, thank you for having me as always and
Speaker 2: the Beard. I'm not so sure about how much long
Speaker 2: arem I gonna keep this thing, but I'm glad you
Speaker 2: like it.
Speaker 1: Hey, I love the synergy that you have with Dino EBL.
Speaker 1: How much do you guys have to be on the
Speaker 1: same page.
Speaker 3: It's very important.
Speaker 2: I mean, Dino's making some you know, really tough in
Speaker 2: the moment decisions, you know, as the play is happening.
Speaker 2: I'm you know, much more on kind of the front
Speaker 2: end of things with passing on information, you know, situational
Speaker 2: things to guys, so, you know, knowing what we just
Speaker 2: spent a lot of time together and I think it started.
Speaker 2: He's helped me so much going back, you know, four
Speaker 2: years now with just you know, the game itself and what.
Speaker 3: He's seeing and reading, what he's thinking.
Speaker 2: So I can just kind of look over there at
Speaker 2: him and you know, we have some little signs and
Speaker 2: he'll give me and just kind of a heads up,
Speaker 2: you know where his thought process is. And then you know,
Speaker 2: in turn is my job to help prepare the guys
Speaker 2: that are there for what potentially might come about.
Speaker 1: Baseball has changed in a lot of ways. One of
Speaker 1: them is the third base coach is no longer really
Speaker 1: the point man for guys to steal from first base.
Speaker 1: That's you how much preparation goes into it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean there's a lot of it's a lot
Speaker 2: of work on the front end. Looking at video. You're
Speaker 2: trying to pick up maybe some team tendancies or individual
Speaker 2: tenancies with the type of pickoffs, their delivery, times of
Speaker 2: the play. If there's anything that you might pick up
Speaker 2: on a pitcher that's different from his pickoff and delivery,
Speaker 2: you throw in there. Certainly the catcher's ability as well.
Speaker 2: You know your own our own personnel and you know
Speaker 2: where they might fit in the spectrum of like those times.
Speaker 3: And and then you you know.
Speaker 2: You got situations of the game that that play a factor.
Speaker 2: So there's a lot of times been on the computer,
Speaker 2: you know, going into a series, during a series, just
Speaker 2: trying to be as well informed and prepared as I
Speaker 2: can be to pass along information to guys.
Speaker 1: Show, Hey, Otani has stolen more bases this season than
Speaker 1: he ever has.
Speaker 2: What do you credit that to. Biggest thing is then
Speaker 2: coming in this year. I think Show realized knew he
Speaker 2: was gonna be an offensive player only this year, and
Speaker 2: I can only imagine how tough it is for him
Speaker 2: to try to.
Speaker 3: Juggle the pitching the hitting.
Speaker 2: And now you know, you have the ability to steal bases,
Speaker 2: but your your schedule is you know, as such, where
Speaker 2: you're pitching that day, so you're probably not as aggressive
Speaker 2: or Hey, I'm pitching tomorrow, or I just pitched yesterday.
Speaker 2: And this year, I think he came into spring training
Speaker 2: with a you know, pretty intent focus on wanting that
Speaker 2: this year to maybe be something that he could push
Speaker 2: the envelope a little bit more. And he spent a
Speaker 2: ton of time with Travis Smith and our strength and
Speaker 2: conditioning guys working on his running mechanics and his acceleration.
Speaker 2: And then as we've you know, spent more time together,
Speaker 2: we'll just watch video and we'll share things back and forth.
Speaker 2: You know, during the game, he might see something out
Speaker 2: there or I see something, and so you know, we're
Speaker 2: just trying to Again, I'm just trying to as best
Speaker 2: prepare him or equip him with the information. And then,
Speaker 2: you know, I think he's got a good idea now
Speaker 2: of what his you know, range and capabilities are and
Speaker 2: how he's you know, how he's feeling, and you know,
Speaker 2: he's done a great job.
Speaker 1: It seems like there's trust that needed to be he
Speaker 1: built and you guys have built that since day one
Speaker 1: of spring training.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I mean we started talking early in spring and at
Speaker 2: least at first was just hey, here's here's how I've
Speaker 2: gone about it in the past. I would show them
Speaker 2: information I had on you know, teams that we've played,
Speaker 2: and this is kind of how I you know, will
Speaker 2: go about it watching video together. And then also he
Speaker 2: watches a ton of video. And there's been many times
Speaker 2: this year where he's come to me, you know, and said, hey,
Speaker 2: what do you do you see this? Or then I'm like,
Speaker 2: you know what, wow, show I didn't really, I was
Speaker 2: I was fixated on something else.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: It's nice to have another set of eyes that you know,
Speaker 2: is looking at the full picture, and I'm like, hey,
Speaker 2: most important thing is what you're seeing. You know, you're
Speaker 2: the one that has to go out there and apply
Speaker 2: this in the game. So if you see it and
Speaker 2: feel good about it, like let's go with it.
Speaker 1: Do you believe that Otani has thrived in this competitive
Speaker 1: environment that Dodgers have.
Speaker 3: I mean, you like to think so.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think we fill that with a lot
Speaker 2: of players that come you know, over here, and you know,
Speaker 2: they realize the expectations and we do as well with
Speaker 2: you know, what the ultimate goal is. And you know,
Speaker 2: when you go on the road and you play visiting ballparks,
Speaker 2: the atmosphere is probably a little bit different than than most.
Speaker 2: You know, we we draw well and it's a bit hostile.
Speaker 2: And then you know, I think certainly with him coming
Speaker 2: here and you know, he wants to get off to
Speaker 2: a good start in this you know, first year of
Speaker 2: a ten year contract and you know, and do well
Speaker 2: and being big part of it. I think just watching
Speaker 2: how seamlessly he's transitioning to the group you know, staff
Speaker 2: and player alike, and he's a you know, super guy,
Speaker 2: and he's you know, very astute, you know, student of
Speaker 2: the game, and he's very diligent with Howard prepares.
Speaker 3: So he's fit right in with you know, the culture.
Speaker 1: Here Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough is a big
Speaker 1: reason in the preparation for Otani to be able to thrive.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for the time, and we'll catch up
Speaker 1: with you when we get back home.
Speaker 3: All right, Thanks a lot for having me, David